Improvement in station-indicators



a Z. M. HIBBARD, 2Sheets-Sheet1. Station-Indicators.

Patented April 29, 1879.

Wjinesses z, A VENUE Zeln'a MIJJZZFZltZ N- PETERSv PHQTO-LITHOGRAFHER,WASHINGTON, D C,

- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. Z. M. HIBBARD. Station-Indicators.

No. 214,776. Patented April 29, 1879.

NEXT STATION RUB . Wiinesses NFETERS, PHOTO-LITHGGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. DC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZEBINA M. H'IBBARD, OF FRE-EPORT, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN STATION-INDICATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,776., dated April29, 1879; application filed June 12, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZEBINA M. HIBBARD, of Freeport, in the county ofStephenson and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Station-Indicators, which is fully described in thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a partial cross-section of arailway-car with my improved indicator applied. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the indicator-box with the side removed; Fig. 3, a similarelevation of the apparatus, the central portion of the operating-postbeing broken away 5 Fig. 4, an end elevation of the same; Fig. 5, a sideelevation of the head of the trip; Fig. 6,-a transverse section of theindicatorbox taken on the line a; m, Fig. 3; Fig. 7 a similar sectiontaken on the line y y, Fig. 3; and Fig. 8, a detail of the square end ofthe reelshaft.

My present invention relates to an improvement upon thestation-indicating apparatus for which I have heretofore applied forLetters Patent, whereby the action of the indicator is made morecertain, and may be operated automatically, if desired.

The invention consists in various special devices and combinations ofdevices, all of which will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings, A represents the indicatorbox, within which is inclosedthe continuous strip bearing the names of the stations and the directmechanism by which it is moved. This strip 13 passes over a squareshaft, 0, within the box similar to the one shown in my previousapplication. At one or both ends of this shaft are shallow parallelgrooves 0, out in each side of the shaft, as shown in Figs. 2 and 8 ofthe drawings.

At the bottom of the box, and at one or both ends thereof, is a weight,D, attached at its rear end to the back of the box by ahinge, (2, sothat it will vibrate up and down. Two cords, E, are attached to thefront end of this weight, and are extended up over the shaft 0, onopposite sides thereof, being arranged each in one of the grooves 0.These cords are provided with stops or disks 6, arranged just below theshaft, and are attached at their upper ends to levers F, respectively,which are pivshaft, to prevent'the turning of the latter more than oneside at a time.

. It is evident from the above description that when one of the cords Eis drawn over the shaft 0 it will turn the latter in one direction,while if the other cord is pulled it will turn it in the oppositedirection, the hinged weight D producing the necessary friction. Thesecords are thus operated to rotate the shaft by vibrating the levers F,one of which is operated to rotate the shaft and move the namebelt inone direction, and the other to reverse the movement when the car isgoing in the opposite direction. The stops or disks 0 strikeor a devicemay be connected to them by means of which they may be operatedautomatically. I have shown one device for this latter purpose in thedrawings. A rock-shaft, I, is mounted in suitable. bearings below theindicator-box, and is provided with two arms or lovers, #1 '5,projecting in opposite directions from the shaft. A rod, J, connects theouter end of the lever i with one of the levers F, and to the otherlever, 2', is pivoted the upper end of a rod or bar, K, which extendsdown through the bottom of the car, as shown in Fig.1 of the drawings. Acam or trip, L, is mounted on the top of a post, I, set up by the sideof the track in a convenient position, and arranged. so that just as orsoon after the car leaves a station the lower end of the bar K will comein contact with the cam, which is of such contour as to lift the bar,thereby rocking the shaft I, so as to depress the lever i, and throughit the leshaft one space, thereby exhibiting in the indi'cator the nameof the next station.

The weight D will, of course, operate to restore the sliding bar to itsnormal position below the car after it has passed the cam.

The lower end of the bar K may be provided with a wheel, k, to relievethe friction.

Upon the return-trip, if the car is run back Without turning, it willonly benecessary to change the connection of the link-rod J from onelever Fto the other; but if the car is turned around, the indicatingapparatus must be constructed so as to be readily transferred from oneside of the car to the other.

It will, of course, be desirable to arrange the operating-cams on bothsides of the station, so that the indication will be made just as orsoon after the car leaves the station when going in either direction.

It will thus be seen that the indicator may be made automatic in itsoperation, and, if desired, the box may be provided with automaticapparatus at one end and with hand-levers at the other, so that eitherone may be used to change the indicator.

The two independent cords are desirable, as it saves all shifting ofdevices at the end of a route, and the hinging of the weightsmakes theaction of the latter steadier, so that there is no liabilityof the cordsbecoming disarranged.

I do not limit myself to the special device described for operating theindicator automatically, as some other device may be used withoutchanging the other parts of my ma chine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire'to secureby Letters Patent, is-- 1. The shaft 0, in combination with theindependent weighted cords E, independent levers F, and a name-belt, B,operated by the shaft, substantially as described.

2. The operating-shaft O, in combination with the actuatin g-cord E anda weight, D, attached at one end to the cord and at the other hinged toa stationary support, whereby it is free to vibrate while held in place,substantially as described.

3. The operatin g-cords E, provided with stops 6, in combination withthe shaft 0, provided with grooves 0, substantially as described.

4:. The rock-shaft I, provided with levers i i, in combination with thesliding bar K, cam L, lever F, weighted cord E, and indicatorshaft 0,substantially as described.

ZEBINA M. HIBBARD.

Witnesses DANIEL S. BREWSTER, J osEPH B. SMITH.

